


Summer and a Race

by HamiTaperoFan



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-05-19
Packaged: 2018-06-09 10:21:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6901990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HamiTaperoFan/pseuds/HamiTaperoFan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While Nagisa was excited to attend the Summer Festival, everyone was ready to go. They were all prepared, except for Haru who was still in the pool and would not leave it without a condition.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Summer and a Race

**Summer and a Race**

 

It was summer. Everyone in the town was gathering for the summer festival, it was quite a big event. Although it wasn’t as much as the Cherry Blossoms fest, it was still worth getting them worked up. However, some certain people just weren’t into these things as much as the others.

“Awww, come on Haru!” Nagisa squealed to Haruka, who was still in the depths of the water, so occupied to clearly hear him.  The heat of the season was adding to his thirst for water, or in other words ‘love’ for water.

Nagisa has been blabbering about the festival since morning and everyone in the club didn’t mind, but as usual, everyone’s opinion mattered and Haruka wasn’t an exception. “The Summer Festival’s about to start and I don’t want to miss it.”

Finally, after minutes of waiting and simple conversation among the others, Haru’s head popped out of the water as he heaved out a sigh and asked, “Is the festival really important?” to which Nagisa immediately answered, “YES!”

“So important that I have to join?”

“YES!”

“So important that the water and I have to part ways?”

“..Um…” As usual, Nagisa wasn’t good at these things since Makoto was almost always the one who was able to make Haruka join them. He fiddled with his fingers, waiting for a legit answer to get in his head. Mako chuckled, “It’s sad you can’t just say that a pool will be there.”

“Yeah but what are the chances?” Nagisa hopefully replied. “It’s hot as hell in that area during the day! Surely they’d have made a pool there.” Rei then joined in on the conversation, “I guess, yes,”—he then fixed his glasses being the smartass that he is – “but they can’t just build one so quickly considering summer has just started quite recently.”

“As much as I want to go,” Gou added a bit hopefully as Nagisa, “and as much as I hate to admit, you guys are right.”

“Gou!” Nagisa’s blurted as his eyes lit up with excitement.

“Yeah?”

“You can help me convince Haru! Tell him why you want to join.” Gou’s cheeks flushed red upon hearing this sudden idea, “Eh…?”

“I guess trying won’t hurt,” Rei smiled as he said this and Haru nodded, “Go on.” Her cheeks reddened even more and her eyebrows furrowed as she pulled Nagisa to her. The sudden action was a bit of a shock to him but what she whispered in his ear wasn’t really that much surprising, “Do you really think me seeing hot guys at a festival is convincing enough for Haru to come with us?!”

Nagisa’s eyes widened and nervously chuckled as he scratched the back of his head in awkwardness, “My bad. Never mind what I said, guys.”

“Tell you what,” Haru calmly suggested. “If you two race in a swim, and Nagisa wins, we stay here but if Kou wins, I’ll change my mind.”

“EH?!” Gou shook her head in disagreement.

“Piece of cake~!” Nagisa squealed in excitement and Makoto tilted his head in confusion, yet a nervous smile still remained plastered on his face, “That’ll be a show, but why that?”

“I want to stay in the water.”

Fits of laughter came from all of them, even Gou, because of what Haruka said. But after a while, Rei came up with an idea, “That’s a bit unfair, don’t you think? How about, instead of a swim race, they have a race on land instead?”

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Gou mumbled to herself as Rei continued, “Just a quick race, I suppose. You two will run to the nearby candy store where Mako will be and go back here with him.” 

Nagisa excitedly replied, “You’re on!”

…

“On your mark,” Rei began so the two readied themselves and went on position.

“Hey,” Gou quietly called Nagisa. “Also, If I win, can you stop calling me ‘Gou’?”  
Nagisa gave her toothy grin, “Sure! _If_ you win!”

“Get set, GO!” Once Rei started the race, the two went full speed ahead. Both had a goal for this race—to protect one’s pride as girl, and to be able to have a taste of sweets at a festival. However, this didn’t stop them from having a small conversation.

“I have to say, you run fast, Nagisa,” Gou noticed her opponent’s speed so she went a bit faster than her last pace.  “Well, what do we expect from a swimmer.”

“Swimmers do best in the water and that’s what Haru’s for,” Nagisa shook his head.  “Running’s on land. I think you mean, track players.”

“Oh, yea, like Rei?”

He paused for a while at the mention of his name and said, “Hey Gou, I have to tell you something.”

“You can tell me while we’re running, Nagisa, because if this is an idea of yours to have a head start, you are mistaken!”

“No, no,” he shook his head one more time, heaving out a sigh. “Just hold on for a second, stop.” The two then rested for a while on the sidewalk. Nagisa was shaking nervously, as if he was going to need to talk to his parents that moment, Gou on the other hand, was so calm. Seeing their states together would be a weird sight for a bystander.

“Ok,” Gou began.  “fire away, but just for the record, I know it’s about your feelings for Ryugazaki.”

“H-HOW DID YOU KNOW?!” His cheeks flushed red, redder than Gou’s were minutes ago. She noticed this and smirked at his innocent little face. His face was already so red, it’s almost as if they couldn’t get any redder, but when Gou smirked he felt more embarrassed and basically turned into a tomato-colored cinnamon roll.

“Oh please, Nagisa,” she laughed at how uncomfortable she made Nagisa felt that moment. “I know you so well that you’re practically my rival brother…  er, my brother except, you’re not Rin because _that_ would just be absurd, but that’s not the point.”

This time it was Nagisa who snickered. Gou attempted to shoot him a glare but it only made him laugh harder. She then heaved a sigh, knowing that no matter what she did, Nagisa would always be the cheerful little guy he is. He asked, “Well then how long _did_ you know?!”

Gou paused for a few seconds, tilting her head, showing that she was trying to remember. “Ah!” she answered. “Since you were so caught up on making him join the club. I mean, your eyes—“

“Oh don’t you dare give me that ‘I see the way you look at blah blah’ stuff, it’s a lame excuse to be honest.” Nagisa’s big sister loved to read, and as a child, he sometimes came across the novels she liked. He didn’t understand why the books girls read were always about romance, and why every time some character realized that the protagonist likes someone, the excuse that was always given was the way they looked at the other.

Although that fact disturbed him somehow, at some point he actually enjoyed reading a few of his sister’s books. He sometimes guessed that maybe they were the reason he became a romantic deep inside.

“No,” Gou replied with a bitter tone. “Before you interrupted, I was saying, your eyes normally wander off in different places and eventually, you find something that gets your attention and you babble about it—“

“—The same way you do about muscles—“

“—but whenever we’re with the rest of the team, _he’s_ the one that gets your attention. If you’re not staring at Rei, it’s either you’re talking to him or in very close contact with him. I thought it was just because you’re close and all, but as childhood friends, you’re closer with Mako and Haru. With Rei that record just breaks.” She ended with a smile, implying how proud she is of Nagisa.

“…Please stop.” He looked away, not being able to bear how embarrassing it is for someone to notice his deepest darkest feelings.

She tilted her head and playfully waved her hand, laughing, “Don’t be like that.” Nagisa replied with a glare, “It’s a bit difficult when you’re laughing at me.”

Gou smiled at him and just waited for him to continue what he wanted to say. Not long after, Nagisa realized her intention and sighed, saying, “You just make it all seem so easy when really it’s not.”

“It was. You basically stare at him all the time.”

“I meant, this…” Nagisa continued. “this whole thing. It’s not easy for me because I don’t even have a single clue at all if he feels the same!”

“For real?” She was obviously taken aback by what he just said. Nagisa noticed how she was surprised, and he, himself was surprised that she was.  “Jeez, Nagisa, I know you don’t really do well at academics but that’s just crap. You seriously don’t know?”

“What…?”

“He obviously likes you!” She blurted with passion.

“What…?” His question came out with a slightly higher pitch now.

Gou let out an exhausted sigh, “Come on! Please tell me you saw that _at least_ a little bit.” Nagisa nervously shot her a toothy grin, and scratched the back of his head awkwardly, “I think ‘not having a single clue’ means otherwise, Gou.”

“Whatever,” she let go of the fact that he mispronounced her name again, much more focused on how clueless and naïve Nagisa was. “you two like each other. End of my point.”

“But GOU! Aren’t you going to help me out on this?”

She arched a brow and her fists went to her hips, “What _else_ is there to be fixed? You like _him_ , he likes _you_ , just have the balls to ask him out!”

The fact that that he was a guy and that she was telling him to have some balls just made him even more awkward than he already was from the start. “You’re not making me feel better at all.”

 “Yup, but hearing him say ‘yes’ will!”

“GOU!”

“It’s KOU!”

“Are we really going through this again?”

She snickered, “You started it this time.”

…

Rei sat near the pool where Haruka was swimming as the sky already began darkening. He was getting more worried and panicky as the minutes flew by. Haru noticed this and asked him what was bothering him. “I expected them to be slower than I am, but this is just wrong.”

Haru was too happy inside the pool to notice how time went by, so he asked, “Why, what time is it?”

“It’s nearly seven in the evening!” Rei’s right arms flew to his head after checking his watch. “The race began at four, and it’s simply a walking distance.”

“There they are,” Haru told him and Rei looked at where Haru’s eyes were focused. He was correct, Makoto, Nagisa and Gou were running towards them and the two racers seemed a little too happy than they were supposed to be. Once the three had reached them, Makoto gave an apologetic smile, “Sorry for the wait, guys! I don’t know what took them long, honestly.”

Haru nodded so calmly, as if nothing really happened, “Who won?”

“Nagisa did,” Makoto said. “So that means you’ll have to get dressed soon, Haru.”

“Okay, soon, not now.”

Rei stood from his seat and stomped towards Gou and Nagisa. They were still smiling but upon realizing that Rei was in front of them, Nagisa’s grin only widened while Gou’s didn’t. She noticed that Rei didn’t look happy at all.

“Rei, I won!” Nagisa excitedly told him.

He was planning to scold the two for making them wait so long (and for making him worry) but the charming smile on Nagisa’s innocent face just held him back and made him look away. How could he get angry at someone so cheerful?

He lightly blushed at this idea but hid it quickly by doing his smart-ass-glasses move. His face was still facing Nagisa though.

“You two were slower than I expected. It’s already night!” Rei was expecting an essay to come out of his mouth, but like said, the way Nagisa was just so carefree just prevented that from happening.

“Yeah, I guess we took long, but it’s not because we ran slow, trust me,” Gou apologetically smiled and stared at the two guys in front of her.

“Yeah Rei, listen to Gou!—“

“—It’s Kou.”

“You didn’t win the race,” Nagisa playfully let out his tongue to which Gou responded with a smile, “Fine, but the next time we do this, I’ll win for sure. If you just weren’t so talkative…”

Rei, Haru and Makoto were confused at her addendum and how it was at all connected to everything that happened, but merely brushed it off. Rei then turned to Nagisa “And you”—he lightly flicked his forehead—“Do _you_ have any idea how much I worried about you?!”

A blush appeared on his cheeks and made Rei decide to change what he meant by continuing, “You two got me worried sick!” Makoto chuckled at how true it was, judging by how he was acting, while Haru simply paid attention. Nagisa however, was able to see through his mask, and just giggled at the thought.

“Whatever,” Gou joined and reminded them. “We have to go to the festival.”

“Right, right, I forgot,” Rei shyly added.

Nagisa just followed behind, nobody knowing that he was mentally replaying everything that happened that afternoon with a smile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  



End file.
